Attachment for outboard motors



June 21, 1955 E. R. MCGREGOR ATTACHMENT FOR OUTBOARD MOTORS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May e, 1955 INVENTOR.

June 21, 1955 R MQGREGOR 2,711,152

ATTACHMENT FOR OUTBOARD MOTORS Filed May 6, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 21, 1955 MCGREGOR 2,711,152

ATTACHMENT FOR OUTBOARD MOTORS Filed May 6, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. BY 7 United States Patent 2,711,152 ATTACHMENT FOR OUTBOARD MOTORS Eugene R. McGregor, Litc hfield, Conn. Application May 6, 1953, Serial No. 353,412

3 Claims. (Cl. 115-17 This invention relates to apparatus or equipment constituting an integral or a removable part of an outboard motor for facilitating handling of the same.

More specifically, the present invention provides a carriage or dolly for outboard motors which, when once installed, may remain in place indefinitely, if desired, inasmuch as the same does not interfere with the operation and manipulation of the motor when the latter is in use.

A further object of my invention is to provide a carriage or dolly which eliminates the necessity of manhandling the motor, the carriage enabling the motor to be wheeled around.

Still more specifically, the present invention provides apparatus of the type broadly referred to above in which I provide a pair of legs, pivoted at their upper ends to the motor shroud, their lower ends being equipped with wheels of some sort. When the legs are in down or extended position, the motor may be wheeled around by slightly tipping the same, and when the legs are in their collapsed or stowed position, they lie snugly against the shroud of the motor; and their construction is such that the wheels at the ends of the legs are within the overall width of the motor housing so as in no way to interfere with the normal movement of the motor through an arc of, say, 180. I

In addition to the foregoing, my construction is such that, with the legs in extended position, they provide a certain amount of protection for the motor propeller, the latter lying within the boundaries of a triangle formed by the two wheels of the carriage and the propeller skeg.

I might add also, in this same connection, that this construction enables the entire motor unit to stand erect when not in place on a boat with three points of support, viz., the two wheels and the lower end of the propeller skeg. I

Further advantages and objects of my invention will appear hereinafter.-

In the accompanying drawings, wherein I have illustrated an embodiment of my invention,

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of an outboard motor showing my carriage applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevational view of the structure of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an exploded view showing one form of clamp by which my carriage or dolly may be clamped to the propeller skeg, etc.; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view of a modification.

Referring to the drawings in detail, and first of all to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, 2 designates an outboard motor, 4 designating the clamp by which the motor is attached to a boat, 6 the motor shroud, and 8 the propeller skeg. This entire construction so far referred to is conventional.

in this embodiment of my invention, my improved equipment is removably attached to the motor, and in this connection I provide a clamp 10, which encircles the shroud 6 and is hinged at the rear, as shown at 12, and provided in the front with clamping bolt 14.

2,711,152 Patented June 21, 1955 Theclamp 10, so far as its location vertically of the shroud 6 is concerned, should always be well above the waterline.

- The clamp, as will be seen from the exploded view of Fig. 3, is provided withtwo pads 16 and 18, one at each side of the hinge 12. Pivoted by means of pivot pin 19 to the pad 16 is a leg 20, and pivoted by means of pivot pin 21 to the other pad 18 is a similar leg 22. The axes of the pivots for the legs and 22 extend transversely of the sides of the shroud and, as seen in Fig. 1 for example, area few degrees 01f horizontal-12, as illustrated in the drawings-so as to locate the legs and carriage wheels in close stowed" position, as will be brought out more fully hereinafter.

*The lower end'of each leg is provided with a wheel 24, preferably equipped with a low-pressure tire. The legs 20 and 22 are locked in their two positions by locking mechanism, such as the latching mechanism best seen in Fig. 2. While other forms of locking mechanism may be employed, the mechanism illustrated comprises a latch' lever 26, which is pivoted at 28 to one of the legs near the pivoted end thereof and is adapted, when the legs of my device are extended, to hook over a pin 30, carried near the pivoted end of the other leg, the lever 26 being deformed so as to provide a notch 31, which receives the pin 30. With the legs stowed or in collapsed position, the latching lever 26 is engaged with the pin 30 by means of another notch 32.

It will be understood, of course, that the legs 20 and 22 are pivoted permanently to the shroud clamp 10, so that, by simply removing the bolt 14, the entire equipment may be removed from the motor shroud, if desired. However, as above pointed out, the equipment may be left permanently in place, inasmuch as it in no way interferes with the normal operation of the motor and allows the latter to be rotated through an arc of as much as 180.

It will be seen from Fig. 2 that, with the legs 20 and 22 extended, the two wheels 24 and the propeller skeg 8 provide a triangle within which the propeller 34 is located, so'that the propeller is efiectively shielded. This triangle arrangement also provides a convenient stand for the motor, whereby the same may be supported in an erect position.

As will be apparent from an inspection of Fig. l, with the legs extended, one may tip the motor rearwardly sufliciently to have the propeller skeg 8 clear of the ground, and then the motor may be easily transported by pushing or pulling the same on the wheels 24.

When it is desired to install the motor on a boat, it is merely necessary to stow or collapse the legs 20 and 22 by rotating them about their respective pivots.

From Fig. 3 it will be seen that the pivoted end of each of the legs 20 and 22 is cut out, as shown at 36, to receive the pads 16 and 18, the cut-out 36 being so shaped that the movement of the legs to extended position is limited by the underside of each leg engaging the underside of the clamp 10 in the vicinity of the pads 16 and 18. Likewise it will be seen from Fig. 3 that the movement in the reverse direction of the legs 20 and 22 is limited .by the cut-outs 36 engaging the upper face of the pads 16 and 18. This, of course, is a convenient arrangement and insures that in either position, namely, extended or stowed, the legs 20 and 22 are in engagement with fixed stops, and furthermore no load is imposed upon the latch lever 26 other than restraining the legs against movement in the opposite direction.

It is to be noted from Fig. 2, particularly, that in stowed" position the upper ends of the legs 20 and 22 and their respective carriage wheels are well within the overall width of the motor housing.

I might also add that another advantage is inherent in this construction in that the entire unit, that is, the

motor and my attachment, may be laid flat on the floor illustrated in the modificationof Fig. 4, thus eliminating the clamp entirely. 1

From all of the foregoing it will be quite apparent that, I have provided a very simple apparatus which may. be removably or permanently attached to an outboard motor to facilitate transporting the same by drawing or pushing the motor from place to place, thus eliminating the necessity for manhandling the motor.

It will be appreciated that no special skill is required for attaching the device to the motor, if it should he of the detachable type, nor for collapsing or extending the legs and 22.

As above pointed out, it will be quite apparent also that in stowed" position the legs and their wheels are.

well within the outside dimensions of the motor housing; in fact, the legs, when stowed, extend close to and parallel to the motor shroud 6 so as not to interfere in any way with attaching the motor to a boat transom nor with rotative movement of the motor, through as much as an arc of 180.

It is to be understood that changes may be made in the details of construction and arrangement of parts within the purview of my invention. a

What I claim is: V

1. In combination with an outboard motor comprising a motor housing and a depending shroud, a pair of motorsupporting legs; a pad carried by the motor shroud at each side of the shroud, one end of each leg being bifurcated, the bifurcated end of each leg straddling one of said pads; and a pivot pin passing through each bifurcated leg end and pad to provide for pivoting of the legs from extended, motor-supporting position to stowed position adjacent the motor shroud withtheir free ends within the overall width of the motor housing, the said bifurcations in the leg ends being so shaped as to limit the movement of the legs by engagement with a face of said pads.

2. Inflcombination with an outboard motor compris. ing a motor housing and depending shroud, in combination, a two-piece clamp adapted to encircle the shroud of the motor; a hinge for the clamp at its rear, and a clamping bolt at its front; a pad for each clamp piece at each side of said hinge; a pair of motor-supporting legs each carrying a wheel at its outer end, each of said legs being bifurcated at its inner end and straddling one of i said pads; a pivot pin passing through each leg and each of said pads. to provide for pivoting of the legs from extended to stowed position about axes extending at such an angle with respect to the sides of the shroud that, when the legs are stowed, they will be within the overall width of the motor housing, said bifurcated portions of the legs cooperating with said pads to limit'the. extent of movement of each leg in either direction; and latching mechanism for locking the and stowed position.

. 3. In combination with an outboardmotor, comprising a motor housing, depending shroud, propeller'slt'eg,

and a propeller, a pair of legs pivotally attached at one end to said shroud for movement from extended to stowed position, a wheel mounted on the free end of each leg, the axes of pivot of said legs extending transversely of the shroud sides, said axes sloping downwardly from the rear of said shroud at such an angle that, withthe legs extended, the propeller skeg and the free ends of the legs are disposed in triangular formation about the pro peller, and with the legs stowed, their free ends lie within the overall width of the motor housing.

V References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS legs in both extended Grover Sept. 18, 1 

